Had the great songwriting team of Vincent Youmans, Mack Gordon and Harold Adamson been composing songs about mens watches when they penned the sentimental hit Time On My Hands back in 1930, the title might have been "Time On My Wrist," for by then, mens watches had emerged from pockets for good, and are today perhaps the most popular and most frequently item of mens jewelry.

Most people today do not realize that the first Designer Watches were actually wrist watches designed for women. An early example was the ladies' "bracelet watch" that was sold in the U.S. shortly after the American Civil War. Practical timepieces for men - such as dive watches and other watches for active individuals - did not come along for almost forty years afterward when the first wrist watch for men was designed for Franco-Brazilian aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont in 1904.

Luxury Watches Today

Today's mens watches are more rugged and durable than even the finest pocket watches of the early 20th Century, yet combine this durability with beauty and craftsmanship that is worthy of the label "mens jewelry." Mens gold watches were a traditional gift to an employee who had been with a company for forty years back when people often made a career at a single firm, and diamond mens watches remain a popular anniversary gift.

Today, there are two companies the names of which are virtually synonymous with high-quality luxury watches. One is Citizen, and the other is Movado.

The former company started out in 1918 as the Shoshoka Watch Institute of Japan; the name was changed to "Citizen" in 1930. This company manufactures fine dive watches as well as some of the most coveted luxury watches in the world.

Movado is located in Switzerland; this company's product is primarily responsible for the term "runs like a Swiss watch." These designer watches are generally considered to be some of the most accurate and dependable timepieces ever made. Mens gold watches and diamond mens watches from Movado (Esperanto for "I move") are of a unique minimalist design that make them among the most distinctive pieces of mens jewelry on the market today. However, those who are considering the purchase of one of the many fine mens watches made by this company - whether for themselves or as distinctive gifts for someone else - may have a serious problem, because Movado makes over 100 different models of luxury watches!

In any event, if you are stumped over the ideal gift, it's good to know about mens watches. Whether it's for a rite of passage such as a graduation or bar-mitzvah, an anniversary or birthday, or to honor someone's outstanding achievement, mens watches are always appropriate - and always welcome.